The Form of 1991 Plaque

A ribbon with “O Ye Fire and Heat” wraps around the top edges of the plaque, referencing the inscription on the Powerhouse, revealed when the ivy was removed during building maintenance. To represent the Gulf War, the upper left features a shield with a map of Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. The upper right shows the symbol for woman with “XX” in the center to commemorate the 20th anniversary of coeducation at SPS. A Cypress tree in the top center represents the performance “Cypress Trees” – produced and directed by members of the Form of 1991 – that reflected the emotional journey of women of color at SPS. The center features the Rectors’ Ruler with Charles Halsey Clark’s initials. The ruler was used to illustrate a talk he gave to the Sixth Form. The bottom features Ohrstrom Library, dedicated with much celebration in April 1991.

1991 Plaque Progress: Plaque Completed

The Form of 1991 plaque is now completed.  The photograph above shows the completed plaque with the stained finish to match the existing frame.

The completed framed plaque will be presented on Anniversary Weekend on Saturday June 4th.  Thank you to the representatives from the Form of 1991 for their help with this project – make sure to stop by the Upper to see your plaque if you are visiting that weekend!

1991 Plaque Progress: Carving Completed

The carving stage is completed for the Form of 1991 plaque. Below are some photos of the plaque, carved to illustrate the following events:

• Top Outer Edge: A ribbon bearing the inscription “O Ye Fire and Heat” from the Powerhouse – this inscription was revealed when the ivy was removed during building maintenance that year
• Upper Left: A shield with a map of Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia representing the Gulf War
• Upper Right: A women’s symbol with “XX” in the center to commemorate the 20^th anniversary of coeducation at SPS
• Upper Center: A bald cypress tree representing the program called “Cypress Trees” of poetry, music, and drama reflecting the emotional journey of women of color at St. Paul’s – produced and directed by members of the Form of 1991
• Center Horizontal:  The Rector’s ruler with the initials of the Reverend Dr. Charles Halsey Clark, Ninth Rector of SPS, celebrating a talk he gave to members of the 6^th Form in which he used the ruler to illustrate his message
• Bottom Left and Right:  Ohrstrom Library, which was dedicated in April of 1991

Now that the carving is completed, I will stain the wood to match the woodwork in the Lower Dining Hall, where it will hang when it is done. The finished plaque will be on display for Anniversary Weekend, June 3rd & 4th, 2016.

1991 Plaque Progress: Design Completed

The design stage is complete for the 1991 form plaque. I worked with members of the Form of 1991 to come up with a list of events, and the following was chosen by them to represent their 6th Form experiences at SPS:

• Top Outer Edge: A ribbon bearing the inscription “O Ye Fire and Heat” from the Powerhouse – this inscription was revealed when the ivy was removed during building maintenance that year
• Upper Left: A shield with a map of Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia representing the Gulf War
• Upper Right: A women’s symbol with “XX” in the center to commemorate the 20^th anniversary of coeducation at SPS
• Upper Center: A bald cypress tree representing the program called “Cypress Trees” of poetry, music, and drama reflecting the emotional journey of women of color at SPS – produced and directed by members of the Form of 1991
• Center Horizontal:  The Rector’s ruler with the initials of the Reverend Dr. Charles Halsey Clark, Ninth Rector of SPS, celebrating a talk he gave to members of the 6^th Form in which he used the ruler to illustrate his message
• Bottom Left and Right:  Ohrstrom Library, which was dedicated in April of 1991

I will now start work on the carving of the 1991 plaque and will be posting photos of the carving process as it progresses – stay tuned for more information!

The Form of 1994 Plaque

Below is a photograph of the completed plaque for the Form of 1994. The plaque is being dedicated on May 31, 2014 and hangs in the Lower Dining Hall of Coit (The Upper) above the panels that contain the names of all the members of the Form of 1994. Below the photo is the description of the elements incorporated in the plaque design.

The center vertical design element of the Form of 1994 plaque is the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, displayed atop the Henley shield, representing the win by the boys crew. In the background is Kehaya House, dedicated in January of that school year. A compass in the upper left corner represents the Thompson Island Outward Bound trip made in the fall of 1993. The upper right corner features the flag of South Africa, adopted as part of the April 1994 general election. This symbol, combined with the ribbon in the lower right and left sections, marks the end of Apartheid. Carved into the ribbon is an excerpt from a quote by Nelson Mandela: “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world.”

1994 Plaque Progress: Plaque Completed

The Form of 1994 plaque is now completed.  The above photograph shows a sample of the stained finish on the plaque – the center element featuring the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup from the Henley Royal Regatta.

The completed framed plaque will be revealed on Anniversary Weekend on Saturday May 31st – at which time photographs of the finished plaque will be published online.  Thank you to the representative from the Form of 1994 for your help with this project –  I am looking forward to seeing members of the Form of 1994 at the SPS Anniversary event to celebrate your new Form plaque!

1994 Plaque Progress: Carving Completed

The carving for the 1994 Form plaque is completed.  The photos below are of the finished carving, with descriptions of the symbols used in the design.

The upper right corner of the plaque features the flag of South Africa – adopted as part of the April 1994 General Election, marking the end of Apartheid.  Below the flag is the right side of Kehaya House.

The center vertical section features the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup atop the Henley shield, shown in the picture below it. The left edge of this picture has a section of a compass, representing the Thompson Island Outward Bound trip.

The bottom left and right sections contain a banner with the words “Education is the most powerful weapon” excerpted from the full quote by Nelson Mandela: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Behind the banner below is the left hand side of Kehaya House.

Now that the carving is completed is will be oiled and stained before being put on display for Anniversary/Graduation weekend at the end of May.

1994 Plaque Progress: Design Completed

The design stage is complete for the 1994 Form plaque. I worked with members of the Form of 1994 to come up with a list of events, and the following was chosen to be featured on the plaque:

• Center Vertical: The Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup atop the Henley shield
• Center Horizontal:  Kehaya House
• Upper Left: A compass, representing the Thompson Island Outward Bound trip
• Upper Right: The flag of South Africa – adopted as part of the April 1994 General Election, marking the end of Apartheid
• Bottom Left and Right:  The words “Education is the most powerful weapon” excerpted from the full quote by Nelson Mandela: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

I will now begin working on the carving process, with the plan to have the finished plaque to present at Anniversary weekend in June this year. Photos of the process will be posted on the blog, so stay tuned for more information!

The Form of 1996 Plaque

Here is a photograph of the plaque for the Form of 1996.  I recently completed the carving, stained and sealed the wood and mounted it in its frame.  It will now be displayed in the Lower Dining Hall of Coit (New Upper) and will hang above the panels that contain the names of all the members of the Form of 1996.  Beneath the photo below is a description of the symbols used in the design.

The central design celebrates the development of the Humanities program and is represented by an owl perched on a book, with pen, pencil and brush behind it.  The owl is a symbol of wisdom, and the pen/pencil/brush symbols represent the arts and literature. The book that the owl is perched on is a symbol for learning and represents the history, philosophy, and religion aspects of the Humanities program. In the upper left corner an ‘at’ (@) key from a computer keyboard is carved to symbolize the first School assigned email addresses for students. The upper right corner of the plaque has a closed book with initials DVH representing the end of Tenth Rector David Verne Hicks’ Rectorship. In the lower right section of the plaque a woman’s symbol with the Roman numerals ‘XXV’ carved inside it represent the 25^th anniversary of co-education at St. Paul’s School.

1996 Plaque Design & Progress

The design stage for the 1996 Form plaque design was completed a few months ago.  After working with the Form Director a list of events was chosen to illustrate the 6th Form experiences of the Form of 1996:

The design elements are as follows:

•  Central Motif:  The development of the Humanities program is represented by an owl perched on a book, with pen, pencil and brush behind it.  The owl symbol is for wisdom, the pen/pencil/brush symbols represent arts and literature, and the book symbol is for learning (history, philosophy, and religion).
•  Upper Left:  An ‘at’ (@) key from a computer keyboard to symbolize the first School assigned email addresses for students.
•  Upper Right: The closed book with initials DVH representing the end of David Hicks’ leadership as tenth Rector.
• Lower Right:  A woman’s symbol with ‘XXV’ inside to represent the 25^th anniversary of co-education.

I am currently working on the carving process – following are a few photos of the progress:

This shows the carving in its current state – it has been roughed out, the background levels established, the rough carving done, and many areas are being worked into their finished state.

This shows a detail of the owl – much of the detail still needs to be worked on.

This photo shows the details of the feet and talons that are being cleaned up.

This detail shows the @ key, the @ symbol still needs to be carved into the surface.

This last photograph shows the symbol for coeducation and the book that will be carved with David V. Hicks’ initials.

I will have this plaque with me at Anniversary on June 2nd, although it won’t be entirely complete.  I will post more pictures here when the carving is finished, stained and sealed.

UPDATE – July 19, 2012: Pictures and details of the finished carving can be seen in the Form Plaque Gallery by clicking HERE.